Pundit Neville Sacked by Valencia

Gary Neville has been sacked by Valencia after less than four months in charge of the Spanish club.

The 41-year-old, who is part of the England coaching set-up, was given his first managerial job in December.

Valencia won three of their 16 league games under the former television pundit, and 10 of 28 games overall.

Neville said he wanted to stay but results had "not been to my standards" or those "required by this club".

He added that he understood "we are in a results business".

Neville first faced calls to quit after a 7-0 loss to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg in February.

His last match in charge was a 2-0 home defeat by Celta Vigo just before the international break.

He has spent the past six days with the England squad for friendly games with Germany and the Netherlands.

Neville's younger brother Phil is part of the Valencia coaching team, and the club are yet to make an announcement about his position.

Former Liverpool assistant manager Pako Ayestaran, 53, will take charge for the rest of the season.

Pako joined the club as assistant coach in February in a move that Neville insisted was his decision.

"I'm the head coach of Valencia, I will be the head coach of Valencia for the rest of this season. If I leave, Pako will leave. He's come to be part of my coaching staff," Neville said at the time.

"I understand it might look like there's something going on. There absolutely isn't."

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Neville Back into England Squad Room

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Gary Neville will help select England’s final squad before Euro 2016 via a conference call from Spain before the Valencia head coach links up with the national team next week.

Neville gave up his media commitments after being appointed manager of Valencia in December, but continued in his role as England coach.

The former England and Manchester United right-back has endured a difficult time at Valencia but will still be joining Roy Hodgson’s squad during the international break as planned.

Neville is currently preparing for an important Europa League last-16 match with Athletic Bilbao, but will spend some of Wednesday afternoon finalising the England squad for the upcoming friendlies in Germany and at home to Holland.

The conference call with Hodgson and coach Ray Lewington will decide the squad that will be announced at Wembley on Thursday, just hours before Valencia look to overturn a 1-0 first leg deficit and reach the Europa League quarter-finals.

Neville will also lead Valencia in Sunday’s Primera Division match against Celta Vigo, before travelling to the UK along with England’s performance analysis manager Andy Scoulding, who is working at Valencia as technical coach.

The pair’s commitments in Spain meant they missed last month’s England squad meeting at St George’s Park, where around 40 of the 47 players called up by Hodgson since the World Cup got together.

Danny Welbeck was among those in attendance despite having not played for the national team since last March, but the Arsenal forward’s return to action, and form, means he is set to be included in the squad for this month’s friendlies.

Jack Wilshere attended the get-together but remains sidelined with a long-term leg injury, while his Arsenal team-mate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is also absent.

A knee injury means the England captain Wayne Rooney is the biggest name ruled out of this month’s matches, joining his Manchester United team-mates Phil Jones and Luke Shaw on the sidelines.

The United teenager Marcus Rashford is not expected to be included despite his remarkable emergence, but the Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge and Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster look likely to be involved after recovering from injury.

Few new faces are expected to make their way into Hodgson’s squad, but the West Ham captain Mark Noble and Leicester’s Danny Drinkwater have been pushing for call-ups.

Hodgson recently said both players were “knocking on the door” and Marc Albrighton, who downplayed his own England chances, believes his team-mate Drinkwater should be included.

“I don’t see why not,” the winger said. “He has been fantastic for us. He has really come into his own. If people are going to be picked on form, then he should be one of the first names on the squad list.”

Hodgson will not be able to call upon Fabian Delph, Danny Ings and Charlie Austin due to injury, but the Newcastle winger Andros Townsend will be hoping to be involved after a hamstring strain.

Everton’s Leighton Baines and John Stones are edging their way back to full fitness, while Ryan Mason is injury-free but struggling to get into the Tottenham line-up on a regular basis.

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Arsenal v Aston Villa - FA Cup Final

Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck will miss the FA Cup final after failing to recover from a knee injury.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Mathieu Debuchy (both hamstring) and captain Mikel Arteta (ankle) are in contention after returning to training.

Shay Given is fit for Aston Villa's first Cup final in 15 years after recovering from a groin injury.

Aly Cissokho (groin), Kieran Richardson (calf) and Jores Okore (knee) have also trained but Ciaran Clark (knee) is out.

Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey scored an extra-time winner last season as they beat Hull 3-2 to win their first trophy in nine years.

And the Welshman is hopeful of adding another trophy to his collection as Arsenal look to become the first team to retain the Cup since Chelsea in 2010.

Ramsey said: "To score a winner in the FA Cup final, it's everybody's dream and I managed to live it.

"To finally win something after all those years and the pressure that has been put on this club was such a nice feeling of relief to finally win something.

"We never do it easy. We've experienced what it's like now, going a few goals behind early in the game, but we still believed in ourselves and our ability to get through it.

"Hopefully it will be a bit easier this time and we won't have to put so many people through that.

"Villa are a good team, very solid and of late they've been in really good form, so we'll have to be aware of that."

Villa could have Christian Benteke available for the last time, as speculation continues to link him with a summer move.

But manager Tim Sherwood is confident of keeping Benteke, and teenage midfielder Jack Grealish, who could start after impressing in the semi-final win over Liverpool.

"Grealish has coped with the pressure up until now, when he is asked to step up he has ticked the boxes," he said.

"The bigger the stage, the better he's been. There isn't any bigger stage than this one, so I'm hoping he performs - otherwise we'll sell him!

"He is great, he loves playing. I don't think he gets nervous. He doesn't look the type. He's a terrific player and we're happy he's on our side.

"I think he realises it because he is around Aston Villa fans - Jack has never seen the club win a trophy.

"Even if he tries to get away from it, it's impossible with his family walking around with Villa shirts on every day."

Arsenal and Aston Villa have been drawn together in the FA Cup 10 times, with Arsenal winning seven and Aston Villa three.This is the first time these sides have met in an FA Cup final.

The last FA Cup meeting between these sides was in the fourth round in 2012, when Arsenal came back from two goals down to win 3-2 at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal have reached the FA Cup final for the second successive year, after failing to reach this stage in the previous eight seasons. It is their 19th FA Cup final - a record for any side.

Only three clubs have lifted the FA Cup on more occasions than Aston Villa, who have won the trophy seven times. Their seven FA Cup wins came between 1887 and 1957.

This is Aston Villa's first FA Cup final since 2000, when they lost 1-0 to Chelsea at Wembley.

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